Motion to revoke voting rights of nominated MCAs causes storm

Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi gives his state-of-the-county address at the County Assembly on December 14, 2023. [George Njunge, Standard]

A motion tabled before the  County Assembly of Kiambu to curtail the voting rights of nominated members has sparked a storm of criticism over concerns that it threatens gains made in promoting gender equality, minority rights, and other interest groups’ representation.

The motion, introduced by Riabai MCA Hezron Gachui and set to be debated today, seeks to block nominated members from participating in any form of voting. This includes denying nominated MCAs the right to vote on the annual budget, supplementary budgets, and other development-related bills and motions.

If successful, the proposal will render members chosen to meet the two-thirds gender rule irrelevant both inside and outside the assembly.

“We want to amend our standing orders to ensure that only elected members cast their votes on all matters related to our wards. We believe that only elected representatives should vote on budget matters, as these directly affect their wards,” Gachui said.

Critics, ranging from national to local levels, have questioned the intent behind this proposal, suggesting that it could render nominations irrelevant and reduce their beneficiaries to mere figureheads.

Some argue that, if passed, the proposal could block the path for progressive leaders who have used nominated positions as a stepping stone to elected offices.

The motion, according to sources, has been linked to a superiority complex and unbridled greed for power by a section of elected MCAs who are viciously keen to control operations by making specially elected MCAs “useless and irrelevant.”

Furthermore, a section of elected MCAs is reportedly uncomfortable with nominated MCAs from their respective wards who have already shown interest in elective politics and want to bar them from championing development through bills and motions.

Kabete MCA Grace Hinga, who is opposed to the motion, said the sponsor of the motion and its backers are puppets of some external forces, mostly MPs, who have been keen to capture control of the regional assembly and wreak havoc in the county leadership.

Nominated MCA Rebecca Nyaruai expressed concern that, if the motion is passed, it will render the positions of nominated members meaningless and reduce them to mere spectators, despite their rightful place in the assembly.

“It is a very sad day for us as members of the Kiambu County Assembly, for the women of Kenya, and for other minority groups represented in this House. There is an attempt to push us many steps backward. Some of us were nominated to help balance the gender equation, so why does this member want to deny us the right to vote?” Nyaruai asked.

Ironically, one of the supporters of the motion, Pacifica Ongecha, a specially elected MCA from Limuru, is an official with Groots Kenya, an organisation that champions women’s rights, both socially and politically, and has been uplifting and defending elected and nominated women leaders in counties and parliament.

Critics point out that many successful leaders at the national level began their political careers as nominated members before seeking election and advancing in politics.

Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo, a ranking member in the National Assembly, is a product of nomination by the Orange Democratic Movement. She was a nominated MP between 2007 and 2012 and used the position to successfully contest for the elective seat in the 2013 elections, a position she has successfully defended three times.

In Kiambu, Nduta Muogi (Limuru Central) and Jane Thogori (Gitaru) are beneficiaries of being specially elected, having used their nomination by the Jubilee Party in 2017 as launch pads for their 2022 bids.

Gilgil MP Martha Wangari was nominated to the Senate in 2013, while Nakuru Woman Rep Liz Chelule was a nominated member of the first Senate and successfully used the position to venture into elective politics.

Former Gatundu North MP Wanjiku wa Kibe was a nominated MCA in the first assembly of Kiambu and exploited the position to run for the MP post in 2017, while former Bibirioni MCA Jackie Nungari used her nomination to defeat former County Deputy Speaker Anthony Macharia.

Opponents of the legislation have accused the motion’s sponsor of attempting to roll back the achievements of the 2010 Constitution, which created special seats to ensure representation for groups such as women, youth, people with disabilities, and other minorities.

Yesterday, a wave of opinion leaders and politicians condemned the proposal, describing it as a retrogressive and patriarchal political maneuver aimed at diminishing the role of nominated MCAs and reducing them to powerless figures with no voice.

Former Thika Mayor turned EALA MP Mumbi Ng’aru, who was first nominated as a councilor before being elected as Thika Mayor in the early 90s, expressed her dissatisfaction, saying nominations are done through merit.

“Nominated MCAs pass through credentials, and they are not just picked. They are professionals in their areas, so I wonder why anybody would want to silence them… it is unfair to deny them the chance,” she said.